this is bbc news. the headlines at seven. police investigating the drones at gatwick search a house in west sussex, following the arrest of a man and a woman from crawley. meanwhile the airport has so far run a full service today — but passengers continue to suffer delays and cancellations. it's horrible. it goes against your human rights, doesn't it? a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government. retailers pin their hopes on "super saturday" to boost christmas shopping sales in what's been described as unprecedented levels of discounting after a disappointing year for the high street. and a dream start for ole gunnar solskjaer in charge at manchester united and winning against cardiff. we'll have the latest on that and all the rest of the day's sport in sportsday in half an hour. good evening.

a man and a woman are being questioned by detectives, in connection with the "criminal use of drones," near gatwick airport. the suspects are from crawley in west sussex and police are searching a house in the town. sightings of drones over the last three days led to the cancellation or delay of a thousand flights, affecting more than 140,000 passengers. today the airport has remained open but a backlog of flights has meant continuing problems for travellers. jenny kumar reports. tonight, police activity at a house near gatwick airport. officers have searched inside the property and examined vehicles parked on the drive. this comes after sussex police confirmed last night that a man

and a woman had been arrested in connection with illegal drone activity. at gatwick today, flights have been getting back to normal after three days of disruption, but there is a backlog to clear and frustration amongst passengers. we fly off to france today, skiing in the alps. the kids, taking them away properly for a first white christmas, and yeah, it's been really anxious times for us. i only had a couple of weeks at home so it's cut my trip short by a day, which is really upsetting when you don't get to see your family and friends that often. so i was really sad, i've been really sad about it, but i'm excited to be on the ground and back home. it's not ideal, we're not happy with that, we don't have a very long holiday, so it's frustrating to miss out on some of it. it seems rather stupid that this incident had to happen at all. the disruption caused widespread chaos, affecting 1000 flights and 150,000 passengers. today, six flights have been cancelled, but the airport hopes to run the majority of services.

0ne estimate is that the disruption is costing airlines around £15 million as they refund customers and make arrangements for others to get to their destination in time for christmas. our correspondent caroline davies is outside the house in crawley that the police searched earlier this evening. caroline, what more are the police saying about their investigation?- the moment we've heard there have not been any charges yet made. tonight there is a small police presence outside the house that was searched earlier today. the police have said they have arrested a man who is 47 years old and a woman aged 54. who is 47 years old and a woman aged 5a. so far neither have been charged with any offence. in other updates relating to gatwick, we have heard that norwegian has organised a

return flight for transatlantic passengers that have found themselves stuck. that chartered flight themselves stuck. that chartered flight is expected to leave this evening. the plane can accommodate 450 people and it is coming back again early on sunday morning in the hope that maybe some of those passengers will be able to get home for christmas. caroline, many thanks. 0ur correspondent caroline davis there. and we'll find out how this story — and many others — are covered in tomorrow's front pages at 10:35 and 11:30pm this evening in the papers — our guestsjoining me tonight are sian griffiths, education editor for the sunday times, and martin bentham, home affairs editor at the evening standard. it's been a year of heavy discounting for retailers, and christmas shoppers have been out and about looking for last minute deals on what's become known as "super saturday." footfall on the high street is down again this year, with figures showing trading this festive season, may have already peaked. sarah corker reports from leeds. # joy to the world, the lord has come #

with three days to go until christmas, millions of us are hitting the high street to bag those last few presents. in leeds today, shoppers were certainly getting into the festive mood. so, we tried to get things online, but then you can't feel it and touch it, so we've come into leeds because you get the atmosphere, and to me the two days before christmas, where everyone is running around getting shopping, are kind of like a nice atmosphere, it's quite nice to come out and see everybody. it's actually quite stressful, i'm in such a bad mood. i can't find anything i want, i should have prepared, but it happens every year. why have you left it until the last minute then? i always do, every year. it's not the last minute — christmas eve is last minute. i have seven grandchildren, varying from nine months to 23, so... so you've got all the food to feed the family. oh yeah, definitely. shoppers are expected to spend more than £1 billion today, which has been nicknamed super saturday, and many retailers are banking on that last—minute rush to boost sales after a difficult run—up to christmas on the high street. prices are being slashed to boost sales and shift stock.

2018 has been one of the toughest years on record for retailers, who are being squeezed by rising costs and online competition. today is normally the busiest day for christmas shoppers in the lead up to christmas but this year the situation is different and consumers are feeling less confident around the future so they have been reining back their spending, so footfall, the volume of activity, the people going to retail destinations, is lower than last year. even for internet retailers, sales this season have been lower than expected. it's christmas, it should be organised! one thing people are splashing out on is turkey and trimmings. it has been nonstop since 6:30am. we were busier than a normal saturday and we have the staff to cope. it may be one of the busiest shopping days but this year more than ever, the high street has lost some of its sparkle. sarah corker, bbc news, in leeds. to discuss today's figures,

let's speak to diane wehrle — marketing and insights director at retail anaylsts springboard. very good evening to you, diane. thank you very much forjoining us. you said that normally this is the busiest day. any indication yet as to what it has been like in reality on the high street? yes. we have data for the period up to six o'clock this evening, and that is showing us that actually football,, the volume that —— via volume of that to be in our retail destinations, so how many of us go out to shop, that has dropped by 1% today from the same day last year, but the good news for retailers will be that it is up on yesterday and up on saturday last week, so they will be quite relieved at that and hopefully they will be achieving

some additional sales through the increased footfall that is generated. talk us through quite why this is happening at the moment. there is a common assumption that a lot of shoppers go online rather than to the high street, but even online sales have been depressed. they have. there is a general presumption that everyone is shopping online, but that is simply not the case. around 80% of all retail spend is still in stores, so we are still going out to shop in the high streets and shopping centres. what we have seen over the last few years is this growth in online, there has been double digits, more than 10% annual growth in each month, but that is slow over the last two or three months to single digits, and november actually, despite black friday was lower than that. it is simply that people are raining back on spending, they are feeling nervous and they are lacking confidence around what the future may hold, and also we come from a period where wage inflation, the wages weren't keeping

up inflation, the wages weren't keeping up with price inflation so we were being outpaced by price rises of people earning less in real terms. consequently, they had to fund spending through over savings or borrowing and credit card debt is really high at the moment. people are trying to be a bit more cautious and hopefully pay some of that back. and how much activity would you expect to see tomorrow and monday? tomorrow and monday are the days when activity starts to slow. we still see some people are still out there, a lot of people are out there doing food shopping but generally today would have been the peak trading day, and tomorrow and monday it will quiet down fairly substantially. a lot of people will either troubled this evening or tomorrow, so they will not necessarily be shopping. so we are going to see a quieter time over the next couple of days. given all of the discounting that has been going on in the run—up to christmas, how is that likely to affect the post—christmas sales? is that likely to affect the post-christmas sales? that is a

really interesting point. 0ver post-christmas sales? that is a really interesting point. over the past few years at springboard we have been seeing the post—christmas period, particularly boxing day, we have seen footfall drop on boxing day over a number of years. the allure of what we used to be the big sale date is really waning, thus because we are getting discounts continue with the —— continuously over the period of months before christmas, particularly now that we have black friday in our trading calendar. it is likely to be slower, we are likely to see more discounting by retailers in the coming weeks to clear the stock that they would have hoped to have sold before christmas. it is going to be a soft trading time over the next week or two because they need to clear that stop and get it ready for spring, but also because people are sending less. diane, very good to talk to you. many thanks. two teenagers have died in a road crash, involving a suspected drink—driver. two vehicles collided on the lincoln bypass in the early hours of this morning. the occupants of a blue ford mondeo, were pronounced dead at the scene. one man is being questioned by police.

small demonstrations by "yellow—vest" protesters have taken place throughout france — for a sixth consecutive saturday. the movement which began last month in response to tax reforms, has scaled back however — with the number of demonstrators falling significantly compared to last week. ten people have been killed since the protest began last month. both houses of the us congress have been meeting in special session as they try to end the shutdown of the government which has come into effect, after congress and president trump failed to resolve their differences over the budget. mr trump, who has to sign off any deal, has refused to approve short—term funding, unless $5 billion is made available for a wall along the border with mexico. the top us official in the fight against the islamic state group has quit over president trump's decision to pull troops from syria, reports say. brett mcgurk had planned to leave his role in february but brought his departure forward.

before mr trump's announcement he had insisted that the us would continue working against is in syria. 0ur washington correspondent, chris bucklerjoins us now. first of all, this standoff between congress and the president, how predictable was this? it was always going to be a tough one when president trump pushed his idea of the border wall, demanded $5 billion infunding. i the border wall, demanded $5 billion in funding. i think this standoff is not unusual, it was predictable, but the truth is it is almost going to be the —— what is going to be difficult for them is finding some kind of compromise because you get the impression there are three different parties that need to be satisfied, the republicans, the democrats and president trump himself. certainly listening to the start of what has been a special session inside the senate, you got a sense from republicans that they are saying that this is a battle between democrats and president trump, and

that they need to sort this out and the other part we heard from democrats, the very clear feeling from them but ultimately the president has caused this shutdown in their view, they have called it a temper tantrum by donald trump, and they say if he really wants to reopen those parts of the government that have been shut down, then he needs to abandon the idea of a border wall between mexico and america. and, chris, another resignation coming so soon after that of the defence secretary. talk us that of the defence secretary. talk us through the significance of this. sometimes there are accusations that the media overplayed how chaotic this white house can be, but in the weekend before christmas it is certainly true there is a lot of things going on in a lot of concern about president trump's policies. as you mentioned earlier, bret mcguirk, the us special envoy to the global coalition to fight isis has resigned. it is a point of resignation. he was due to leave the post in february, but he's taken the

decision to bring forward that leaving time will. specifically released a resignation letter which was handed into the administration yesterday, and it says that he disagrees with president trump's decision to pull troops out of syria to bring those us troops home. following on as it does from the defence secretaryjim madison making it clear that he was not happy with that decision and resigning for exactly the same reason —— jim mattis. they put greater pressure on the president and his administration about what they are doing in syria. -- it about what they are doing in syria. —— it puts greater pressure. in fa ct, —— it puts greater pressure. in fact, if you talk to people in congress it is clear many senior republicans are also unhappy with the decision and concert it is not the decision and concert it is not the right call, and certainly the president's suggestion that the so—called islamic state group had been defeated is not something that many advisers agreed to, and that includes advisers inside the administration. brett mcgurk is making a specific point here. it's important to note that he's the man who specifically the bridge this administration and allies in terms

of tackling the islamic state group, and it is clear that he does not believe that isis has been needed and that still a lot of work to be done. 0k. many thanks. the headlines on bbc news: police investigating the drones at gatwick search a house in west sussex, following the arrest of a man and a woman from crawley. meanwhile, the airport has so far run a full service today — but passengers continue to suffer delays and cancellations. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall — results in a partial shutdown of the us government. surgery to repair the spinal cord in unborn babies is to become routinely available on the nhs from next spring. nhs england says carrying out the procedure during pregnancy — will help correct spina bifida —— a condition where bones don't form properly, leaving the spinal cord exposed. our medical correspondent fergus walsh has more. i might not go too much deeper,

frank, because we might need membranes in a second. this hospital in belgium has trained british doctors to carry out surgery to repair spinal defects during pregnancy. now families won't need to go abroad for treatment. thank you very much. hands crossed. spina bifida develops during pregnancy when the bones of the spine don't form properly. this can cause a bulge from which spinal fluid leaks out. the condition can cause a range of lifelong health issues such as paralysis, bladder and bowel problems, and affect brain development. the delicate surgery happens at around 26 weeks pregnancy. the womb is opened and the baby's nerve tissues are pushed back into the spinal cord, which is then closed. the pregnancy continues for another three months. this must be my baby! hello! this is baby ayesha from belgium, meeting the british surgeon who corrected her spina bifida

when she was in the womb. doctors expect she will walk normally. two pregnant women in the uk have had the surgery this year. now it will be routinely available in england. a combined team at london's university college and great 0rmond street hospitals hope to treat 10—20 babies each year. fergus walsh, bbc news. a british warship has arrived in the black sea in response to russia's seizure of three ukrainian navy vessels and their crew last month. the defence secretary, gavin williamson, says the presence of the royal navy will send a strong message to moscow. 0ur defence correspondent, jonathan beale has more. these are the increasingly volatile and contested waters of the black sea. and navigating his way through them, britain's defence secretary steering a ukrainian gunboat. just a month ago, russia seized three sister boats nearby off the coast of crimea,

land now also occupied by russia. but he's here to visit a royal navy warship docked in ukraine's port of odessa — hms echo, a lightly armed service vessel, or what moscow calls a spy ship. it's meant to send a clear message. what we are saying to russia, what we are saying to president putin, they cannot continue to act with no regard or care for international laws or international norms. this is why he's intervened. in november, a ukrainian tug boat was rammed by a russian vessel. shots were fired at the accompanying flotilla, blocked from entering the narrow kerch straight. to do what we can do, working with you to ensure your loved ones are back home with you. 24 ukrainian sailors are still being held, these their anxious relatives waiting for news. the uk's defence secretary listened

to their pleas for help — they even sent a letter to the queen. viktor has not seen his wounded son, vassil, since he was captured. he says, "i feel pain, i feel helpless. we are looking for the support of britain to get them released." the presence of this royal navy warship here in odessa is to provide ukraine with reassurance in the face of what they see as russian aggression, but britain is not looking for a confrontation with russia, and this warship is not expected to sail through the kerch strait. the defence secretary insists this is not a provocation, but a show of solidarity. the crew of hms echo will be here for christmas. it's quite a long stint, isn't it? and other british warships will be returning next year. jonathan beale, bbc news, 0dessa.

rail workers at two companies have been staging fresh strikes today — in the long—running dispute over guards on trains. members of the rail, maritime and transport union on south western railway and arriva rail north — have walked out for 24 hours. northern said very few of its services would run after 5:00 this afternoon, and south western said a reduced service would operate. home ownership among 25 to 34 year olds — has risen for the first time in 3 decades — according to new research by the resolution foundation. the think tank, which focuses on people with lower incomes, warned that first—time buyers still face barriers to getting on the housing ladder. our business correspondent, joe miller, has more. back in the 1980s, around half of young brits owned a home, and in the decades since, the number of first—time buyers under 35 has dropped dramatically to just 25%. but there is good news at last —

a small rise of almost 3% in those able to get on the property ladder. the resolution foundation which crunched the numbers says tweaks to stamp duty and longer mortgages helped, but it is the banks which made the biggest difference. after the financial crisis, lenders took the decision to rein in credit and take less risks, and now they're taking a bit more and being a bit more generous with first—time buyers in terms of the loans they give them. also, house price growth has slowed significantly over the past few years. the foundation says the recent rise equates to 190,000 more young families who have their own home this christmas. but the good tidings are not evenly spread. while yorkshire, scotland and the northwest of england saw strong growth, the number of under 35s owning property declined in the northeast and east midlands, and there is no popping of champagne corks just yet. the think tank says renting is still the norm for the overwhelming

majority of young people. joe miller, bbc news. nhs england has invested £300,000 to fund dozens of so—called "drunk tanks" — with the sole aim of taking the pressure off hospitals and emergency services during the festive season. our correspondent, chi chi izundu, spent the night with westminster council in london to see what measures they've put in place. a little too much christmas spirit, a hangover for the nhs. on a friday and saturday night, up to 70% of visits to a&e are alcohol—related. we find out that a lot of people will go out drinking and they have have not made arrangements on how to get home. and they are stuck at 4 o'clock in the morning, in temperatures of —5, wearing jeans and a t—shirt, sobbing down the phone, saying i'm getting hypothermia, i can't get home, please help me.

and a solution could be drunk tanks — or alcohol recovery services — on the streets, helping those in need. nhs england has invested £300,000 in drunk tanks in a bid to ease the pressure on hospitals and emergency services over the festive period. this one in central london's soho is bolstered by angels — volunteers who make sure those who have had a little too much get the help they need. kitted out with water, flip—flops and sick bags, they've even set up a triage area to treat the more serious cases, like matthew's partner. unfortunately, especially at this time of year, people do have too much christmas spirit and end up needing some help, whether it be alcohol or other substances, orjust getting too carried away and maybe having a fight and getting hurt. so having someone that's there to look after people, making sure they are having a good time and they can get home safely, i think it is actually invaluable. supervised areas for revellers who've overindulged, have already been used in places like manchester, newcastle, exeter and blackpool. a report into whether they are

genuinely easing pressure on front—line staff is not expected until next year. and, whilst emergency staff want partygoers to have a good time, they want the festive cheer to be less of a stumble home. church attendance in the uk has been in steady decline in recent years — but not in cathedrals. they're actually bucking that trend, with a 13% rise in attendance in the last decade. 10 million of us visited a cathedral last year. 0ur religious affairs editor, martin bashir, has been to lichfield in staffordshire, to find out why 20 thousand people have made the trip in the run up to christmas. choral singing. if wise men followed a star, then what would they make of this? a laser light show at lichfield cathedral in the run—up to christmas. £6 for adults, £4 for children, and it's a sell—out.

inside this medieval cathedral, 22,000 doves float above the nave. modern technology telling the ancient story of peace on earth. you could see for miles as we walked in and it draws you in. absolutely brilliant. i think it's really good to come and see something like this locally. the spectacular light show is also having an impact here. that's £8.80 altogether. a recent study found that cathedrals give a £200 million boost to their local high streets. with all the light shows and all their events, basically it's bringing in a lot more people into lichfield which is great for the bars, the restaurants and shops. attendance at lichfield is up 25% and while they are reluctant to attribute this to any single cause, the dean says that cathedrals have worked hard at improving their product, combining the tranquillity of a sacred space with the stimulus of modern media.

what has any of this to do with the message of a saviour who is christ the lord, born at christmas? well, the message of the angels wasjoy. "i bring you news of great joy." when you look in the face of a newborn child, you experience joy, and it's that spirit of non—anxiety, of joyful freedom, that we want to put people in touch with. the light of the world has certainly come to the midlands. martin bashir, bbc news at lichfield cathedral. a resident of a norfolk village got a surprise, when they found an unexpected visitor in the back garden, a baby seal. the pup was four miles inland when it was discovered, in terrington st clement. it's believed the three—week—old male seal ended up in the drainage system, looking for food.

a rescue centre is feeding and monitoring him, before he's released into the wash estuary. now it's time for a look at the weather with helen willets.. thank you very much. it is relatively mild run—up to christmas, so not much snow in the forecast. in fa ct, so not much snow in the forecast. in fact, none. hopefully we will see sunshine but really a very different day ahead tomorrow. today has been lovely, many areas with good spell the sunshine, a few showers but looming large in the atlantic this massive cloud. it is a low—pressure system and weather fronts which will gather force quite quickly through this evening, bringing rain into devon and cornwall and closed in northern ireland, brushing eventually into southern scotland and crossing most areas except the east by morning so we will maintain temperatures above freezing but it will be cold where we have the starry skies in scotland and there could be fog around which will lingerfor much of could be fog around which will linger for much of the day and some of the valleys tomorrow, but once it

does clear it is the best chance of seeing sunshine, but heavy rain elsewhere across england, wales and even northern ireland even want to clear the way still to and mild. lots of missed and help fog. not the best complexion to the weather. it stayed quite cloudy as well for christmas eve. bye—bye. hello this is bbc news. police investigating the drones at gatwick search a house in west sussex, following the arrest of a man and a woman from crawley meanwhile the airport has so far run a full service today — but passengers continue to suffer delays and cancellations. a row over the money for donald trump's border wall results in a partial shutdown of the us government retailers pin their hopes on ‘super saturday‘ to boost christmas shopping sales — in what's been described as unprecedented levels of discounting, atfer a disappointing year for the high street hello and welcome to sportsday,

with me 0lly foster and jeanette kwa kye.